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Aston Martin updates Vanquish, Rapide S for 2015 [w/videos]

For such a small company, Aston Martin certainly keeps busy. Having already previewed its new V12 Vantage S Roadster ahead of its Pebble Beach unveiling, the British marque recently confirmed the arrival of a new Lagonda super sedan. But now it's turning its attention to its two flagship production models with a series of upgrades. The enhancements to the 2015 Vanquish (both coupe and Volante convertible) and Rapide S sedan center around the inclusion of the new Touchtronic III eight-speed automatic gearbox that brings with it enhanced performance, efficiency and comfort. Along with reprogrammed Bosch electronics, the new transmission and updates net a 3-horsepower boost in Vanquish (bringing output up to 568 hp) and 2-hp boost in Rapide S to 552. Torque rises to 465 pound-feet in both, along with revised stability control and steering systems. Upgraded dampers on the Vanquish are 15-percent stiffer up front and 35-percent firmer in the rear, while the Rapide S gets larger front brakes. The result of this suite of minor updates results in a rather substantial performance boost. According to Aston, the upfittings cut a good half-second off the 0-60 sprint for both models: the Vanquish drops from 4.1 seconds to 3.6, and the Rapide S from 4.7 seconds to 4.2. Additional visual enhancements to differentiate the new models are limited to new wheels, paint options and interior trim, the details of which you can scope out in the press release and pair of videos below. DYNAMIC ENHANCEMENTS FOR ASTON MARTIN VANQUISH AND RAPIDE S - Acceleration, top speed, emissions and economy improve significantly - Debut of state-of-the-art eight-speed Touchtronic III automatic gearbox - New engine management system, enhanced trim and specification options 6 August 2014 - Aston Martin is today revealing details of a raft of important enhancements to two of the brand's most popular and successful sports cars: the Vanquish ultimate GT and Rapide S four-door, four-seat, sports car. With the arrival of 15 Model Year (15MY) cars in markets around the world over the next few months, the luxury British brand is offering not only considerably enhanced performance and much-improved fuel economy and emissions, but also an even more honed, precise and responsive driving experience.

Aston Martin waxes poetic about the good life with The Art of Vanquish

Aston Martin markets itself as offering the classy alternative to hardcore sports cars. Its vehicles are certainly capable, but they are also sold as offering an extra dose of luxury to go along with their power. The company is leaning hard into that image in a new short film called The Art of Vanquish. Over the grumble of the coupe's V12, the announcer reads a poem about the metaphor of life's journey, and it positions the Vanquish as a symbol of progress. The film is interspersed with shots of luxury goods like thickly upholstered leather chairs and products from sound system maker Bang & Olufsen, men's clothier Hackett London and Swiss watchmaker Jaeger Le Coultre. The production team True Motion Pictures created the short and has also done projects for Audi and Sony, among other companies. Of course, the idea that Aston Martins and other luxury goods are a symbol of life's adventure is a little contrived. It's still just a car after all – albeit an absolutely gorgeous one. Still, the film is an opportunity for a closer look at the Vanquish, and its wonderful growl is featured throughout. Scroll down to watch the video and be swathed in its poetic concept of luxury. Aston Martin, 'The Art of Vanquish' from True motion pictures on Vimeo.

Aston Martin and Brough Superior go two-up on a range of motorcycles

With several auto and motorcycle shows yet to come before the end of the year, the back of the Tokyo Motor Show doesn't mean the end of teasers. Aston Martin has released the merest line drawing of its next collaboration, a project with the resurrected English bike maker Brough Superior Motorcycles (pronounced "bruff"). The tie-up will debut Nov. 5 at the EICMA motorcycle show in Milan, Italy, and Aston Martin says it "will showcase the integration of beautiful design and exquisite engineering in strictly limited-edition motorcycles." This will be the first time the carmaker's wings will appear on a motorbike. It'll be interesting to see how the partners merge what look like two divergent design philosophies. When Englishman Mark Upham brought Brough back to life in 2012, he asked Frenchman Thierry Henriette of Boxer Design to pen a new bike visually tied to the original Broughs from the 1920s. The SS100, re-creating Brough's most popular model, is compelling but not pretty nor sleek, hung throughout with weighty, overtly constructed metallic forms. The Anniversary and Pendine Sand Racer models are lighter, but just as art deco and cyberpunkish in ways that Aston Martin design is not. On the other hand, Brough was — and is — also known for using excellent materials, build quality and performance, and they aren't inexpensive. Plenty of overlap with the Gaydon car company there. Somehow out of all that will come, we are told, "the perfect balance between performance and design." Mercedes-AMG partnered with Ducati for a few years in the MotoGP racing series and on some AMG-themed bikes, then traded for a partnership with MV Agusta on the AMG-themed Solar Beam. However, those were basically paint jobs on bikes Ducati was already making. It sounds like Brough and Aston Martin intend a more involved venture — and "motorcycles," plural — between carmaker and bike builder than we've seen recently. We'll have more answers in two weeks.